Is there any specific needs Apple Snails have?? I am planning on setting up a 5 gallon tank and keeping maybe 2 snails with a betta.

What can apple snails eat?? Do they just eat the betta fish food, regular fish food, or do they eat plants??? What kind of plants do they like to eat???

THis may be a stupid question but...
I have hermit crabs, and i know as they molt and grow bigger, i need to provide extra shells for them. With apple snails, when they grow bigger, do i need to get some bigger shells for them????

sorry for all the questions......

iamntbatman

07-03-2008 12:47 PM

There are several species of apple snail (genus pomacea) that are kept in the aquarium trade. Some species, such as the gigas and canaliculata, can get pretty big (I'm talking baseball sized or bigger) and should not be kept in a tank as small as 5g. The more common pomacea bridgesii (usually called the mystery snail) stays about the size of a golf ball and is much more plant friendly. However, they do produce a lot of waste so I wouldn't want more than one for a 5g aquarium. They'll eat almost anything, including algae (although they won't keep your glass clean for you), fish food of all types, and fruits and vegetables. You might want to consider feeding the snail something like algae wafers and fresh vegetables in addition to whatever it can find to eat in the tank. A snail's shell grows with the snail, so you don't need to worry about providing extra shells for it. Snails do best in water with a pH above 7 and with a decent amount of hardness, otherwise their shells can slowly deteriorate.